How Did I Fall in Love With You
by KHLostEmpress
Summary: Takeru has no idea how this happened or what he's supposed to do about it. Hikari...has no clue. And Taichi is not killing him? An Among the Backstreets story; Prompt: "How Did I Fall in With You" by Backstreet Boys
1. Chapter 1

_I hear your voice_

 _And I start to tremble_

 _Brings back the child that_

 _I resemble_

~Backstreet Boys

* * *

The dim glow of the television was the only light splashing across the dark room. The credits of the movie were rolling up the screen. Yet, neither of the two people on the couch moved to turn it off. Takeru reached up his hand to brush Hikari's hair back behind her ear. Hikari's eyes remained closed and she didn't so much as stir. At some point before the climax of the movie, she had slumped over onto his shoulder fast asleep.

He'd had no desire to wake her up.

He was pretty much one hundred percent totally screwed.

Takeru placed his elbow onto the arm of the couch. Leaning his head into his hand, he looked down at her. In her sleep, the words he never said while she was awake found their place. "Hikari, remember when we never needed each other? We understood we'd never be alone," he whispered. When they were younger, he could go days, even years, without seeing her. He knew even if they were apart they had the bond of the Digidestined. Now, it was like he still knew they had that bond, but he needed to see her. "We are the best of friends, like sister and brother. Or we were," he added. His lips turned down in thought.

With a sigh, he flopped his head onto the back of the couch. "Those days are gone," he stated. "Now I want you so much." He placed his hand over his eyes. "I don't know what to say. I never meant to feel this way." He dropped his hand back into his lap.

When he felt Hikari shift, he froze. A part of him felt terrified that she was awake and heard him. The other part was hopeful that she was awake and heard him. But she wasn't; she had moved to bury herself further into his shoulder. Takeru released his held breath.

Gently, he moved her off his shoulder and onto the couch. Hikari curled up but stayed asleep as he stood up. The house was quiet and empty. The room went completely dark once he shut off the TV. He and Hikari were alone in the apartment. His mother was gone for the weekend on a business trip. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the dark and he looked around for the clock. When he saw what time it was, he frowned.

It was late, but it was Friday. They didn't have school in the morning. He considered his options. Takeru could wake her up and walk her home. But maybe it would be better if her mom or Taichi came to get her.

He walked over to the phone and dialed the number etched into his heart. It rang a few times before someone picked it up. He recognized the voice that said, "Hello?"

He felt his smile grow at the familiar tone. "Hi, Mrs. Yagami. It's Takeru Takaishi."

"Oh!" she exclaimed in realization. "What can I do for you, Takeru, dear?"

Takeru looked over at the couch where Hikari slept as he explained. "Well, Hikari fell asleep on the couch while we were watching the movie. I can wake her up and bring her home, but I was wondering if you wanted to come and get her instead?"

"Hmm…well, it is Friday, right? Why don't you just leave her be?"

His heart stopped in his chest. There was no way he could have possibly heard her right. "What?"

"Yeah," she reiterated. "Just let her sleep. Taichi is here for the weekend, so I'll send him with clothes for her in the morning, alright?"

"Okay," Takeru found himself agreeing. His mind was still blank, unable to process what had happened.

Still in her normal chipper tone, Yuuko Yagami said, "Thanks, Takeru. Take care."

"Goodbye." Takeru set the phone back down on the cradle and stared at it. His best friend's mother just told him to let her daughter sleep at his house. His _female_ best friend was going to sleep at his home. Alone. With him. A member of the opposite gender. And her mom was okay with it. Suggested it even.

It didn't get much more friend-zoned than that.

He walked back over to the couch. He was pretty sure her mom meant to throw a blanket over her and leave her on the couch. But he couldn't do that. Hikari was probably going to be appalled in the morning when she woke up that he made her take his bed.

Inch by inch, he slid his hands and arms underneath her. With careful movements, he lifted her up into his arms. Hikari's only response was to snuggle deeper into his arms again. She didn't wake up. Takeru nudged open his bedroom door with his foot. He moved over to his bed and kicked the covers back. He laid Hikari down on the bed. Quirking his lip in thought, he wished he had the gall to change her into something more comfortable. Lucky enough, she was in casual clothes already. Her sweatshirt and leggings didn't seem too uncomfortable. He pulled her socks off, set them on the dresser, and covered her with his blanket.

Takeru couldn't stop himself from sinking down onto the bed beside her. He found her hair clip and slipped it off, causing her hair to fall over her face. His fingers brushed it back. "What can I do to make you mine?" he breathed. Takeru was no stranger to infatuation. But this was different. He was falling so hard, so fast, this time. He wasn't even sure when it happened. It was like one day everything was business as usual, him and Hikari, the best of friends. Then the next day it was like a bolt of lightning hit him, and he realized his feelings. "What did I say?" he mused. "What did you do?" His lips curled into a sad smile. "How did I fall in love with you?"

He spent another moment watching her sleep before he stood again. He pulled out sleepwear from his drawers. Then, he slipped from the room, drawing the door shut behind him with a soft click.

* * *

The next morning, something poking him in the shoulder woke him up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted to see what it was. Hikari stood above him with her hands on her hips. Even with rumpled clothes and her hair tangled into bedhead, she made the glare she had trained on him intimidating. Takeru gave her a lopsided grin. "Morning, Hikari."

"Do you want to explain to me why I was in your bed this morning?" she demanded.

Takeru pushed himself up. "When I called your mom last night, she told me to just let you sleep," he explained. He hoped she would leave it at that. He didn't want to explain his thought process to her.

She waved her hand and rolled her eyes at that. "Well, I figured that," she dismissed.

It got worse. Not only was his best friend's mother okay with her spending the night. No, his best friend knew her mom would be okay with it. _She_ was okay with it. So much that it was dismissible.

Apparently, it _did_ get more friend-zoned than he had thought.

Hikari continued, "I meant why didn't you leave me on the couch? I could have slept there just fine."

Takeru chuckled as he came to his feet. "I couldn't do that, Hikari." He started toward the kitchen to get some breakfast ready.

A petite hand gripped his arm, stopping him. He turned halfway back to her to see a bemused expression on her face. "But why not?" she asked.

His throat seized up. Takeru could read in her eyes that she genuinely couldn't think of a reason why he would do that. And since his mind couldn't think of a response that _wasn't_ somewhere in the realm of "because I love you", he was grateful when the doorbell rang. "I need to get the door," he answered instead. This time when he walked away, her hand dropped away.

When he opened the door, Taichi was there with a small duffle bag over his shoulder. "Taichi!" Hikari exclaimed from behind him. Takeru stepped back to let the older man in.

Taichi walked by and held out the bag to his sister. "Mom packed it so don't blame me if something is missing," he said.

She smiled brightly. "Thanks, Taichi," Hikari said as she took the bag. She skipped into Takeru's bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Takeru closed the front door and looked at Taichi. He stood with his hands shoved into his coat pockets. A calm soft smile graced his expression. Takeru had no idea what to say. Even with Mrs. Yagami's attitude, he had not expected Taichi to be this calm about this. He had known Taichi now for the majority of the years of his life. But right now, he could only see the older brother of the girl who slept at his house. What did you say to the older brother of the girl who slept at your house last night?

Without losing his smile, Taichi's face pinched in confusion after a long moment of silence. Taichi quirked an eyebrow at him. Without removing his hands from his pockets, he pointed toward the living area. "You gonna invite me to sit or what?"

This jump-started Takeru's brain again. "Of course," he answered. Moving forward, he tried a smile and was happy that it came out more natural than he was expecting. Normal. He could do this. He could be normal.

Even if he had no idea what normal was after you fall in love with your best friend and were talking to her older brother who also happened to have been one of your mentors for the past ten-ish years.

He needed a moment to breathe.

"Do you want anything?" he asked. Takeru hoped that would give him a second away from them to mentally beat himself into normality.

Taichi shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine."

Takeru deflated for a moment until another idea struck him. "Well, go ahead and sit. I'm getting some water." Then, he escaped into the kitchen. He got a glass out of the cupboard, filled it full of water, and chugged the whole thing at once. His mind raced as he set the glass by the sink. He could talk to Taichi. He could do this.

It didn't matter that this was the first time he had seen Taichi since realizing he had fallen in love with his sister.

But he wasn't that eight-year-old crybaby anymore, he admonished himself. In a few short months, he would be graduating high school. He was almost an adult and had proven that he was competent on numerous occasions. He walked back into the living room and sat on the couch kiddy corner to where Taichi was sitting. "So…" he drawled. His mind drew a blank on what to say. All of the sudden, he couldn't think of a single thing. What did he normally talk to Taichi about? "How's life?" he blurted.

Well, so much for normal. He just took normal by the collar, shoved it out the door, kicked it down the stairs, and spit on its back for good measure.

Taichi blinked at him for a moment. Then, his hand came up to cover his mouth as he started to chuckle. "I'm not going to bite your head off, Takeru. Relax."

Trust Taichi to put him at ease. Takeru found the next smile he gave wasn't forced at all. "I guess I just didn't think you would be okay with this," he admitted. He rubbed the back of his head as he shrugged at his friend.

"With what? Hikari staying here? Why wouldn't I be fine with it?" Taichi eyed him. "Why? Were you planning on assaulting my sister in the middle of the night?"

"No!" Takeru snapped. He was appalled at the very notion of it. He could never hurt Hikari like that. He could never intentionally hurt Hikari at all.

Taichi laughed at him. "See, that reaction right there is why I trust you," he said.

A crash and a yelp came from Takeru's room. His heart stopped. Takeru was half out of his seat until Hikari's voice stopped him. "It's fine! I'm fine. I just tripped. Nothing to worry about. Stay where you are!" Takeru sat back down and stared at the door, debating the pros and cons of listening to her.

"Oh."

Takeru snapped his gaze back to Taichi. The light of realization was in his eyes. Oh, no. No, no, no. Taichi was the _last_ person he wanted to know about his feelings for Hikari. Maybe even more than Hikari herself. "I…Taichi, I…I don't…" He scrambled for an explanation. In the midst of his seething anger at himself (because dang it, he was usually more composed than this), his bedroom door opened. Hikari appeared, dressed in her new outfit with the duffel bag over one shoulder. And her mom had picked out an adorable sundress that flattered her perfectly and his heart betrayed him by seizing at the sight of her and her smile and _it was not supposed to be like this_! He had seen pretty girls before. He had seen Hikari dressed like this.

His mind, the traitor, reminded him that he hadn't though. Not really. Because all those times had been before. Before he realized how much he loved her.

"Taichi, I'm ready to go," she announced. Takeru stood when Taichi did. His mind was not quite fully functioning yet. But he was polite and had been taught well. He was the host and should see his guests to the door. Hikari bounced over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks for looking after me, Takeru."

He swallowed thickly. "Always," he said, glad that she couldn't see him. Takeur could feel the endearing, love sick expression he was positive he sported.

A cough reminded him that they were not alone. "Let's go, sis," Taichi said.

"Alright, Taichi," she said, rolling her eyes. She slipped out from his arms and headed for the door. "See you at school, Takeru!" she called behind her.

This left him alone with Taichi again. Takeru tensed as Taichi paused at his side. He didn't even dare to look at him. He felt Taichi's hand pat on his shoulder. Takeru's whole body became rigid as he waited for the famous "leave my sister alone or I'll castrate you" speech.

"I'm pulling for you, buddy."

Wait, what?

His head whipped to Taichi. Was that…was that a knowing smirk on his face? Where were the threats and promises of eternal suffering if he laid a hand on his little sister? He knew Taichi, and Taichi did not react to boys around his sister like this.

With one last gentle pat on his shoulder, Taichi stepped toward the door. "See you later, Takeru," he said. He lifted his hand and waved without looking back at him.

Takeru was left in stupefied silence.

* * *

As Hikari observed her best friend from across the classroom, it finally clicked. For the past few weeks, she had noticed something was different about him. But she had never managed to puzzle out exactly what it was. As she watched the scene unfold in front of her, she figured it out.

Takeru pulled his arm out from the girl holding it. He did it in such a gentle smooth manner that she probably had no idea she'd been rebuffed. Even at this distance, she knew his smile didn't reach his eyes. There was no suggestive curl to his lips. The girl giggled at something he said, but the triumphant gleam didn't appear.

"Hey, Hikari? Hikari?"

She started and turned. A flush of embarrassment burned her cheeks as she realized she had zoned out on the conversation. "Sorry, what?"

"What were you looking at?" her friend asked. Then she laughed. "Is Takaishi flirting up a storm again?"

Hikari hummed in agreement and quickly changed the subject. But she knew she was lying.

Because Takeru wasn't flirting. Not at all.

Her feet pressed against the ground to stand up. She stopped when the teacher entered again, signaling the end of the break. As the lesson went on, she rolled over in her mind, wondering what was wrong. She'd felt something was off for weeks. Did it make her a bad friend that she ignored it and didn't ask him about it? But she knew Takeru, and she knew how he put walls around his problems and how he always wanted to figure them out on his own and didn't like others to pry.

When the last bell of the day rang, she noticed Takeru lingered in the classroom. Usually, he would head out with everyone else, chatting with those around him. So, she lingered behind with him, observing him again. Wondering what would be the best way to approach the topic. As he stood up to leave, she scrambled to her feet and caught up with him as he entered the hallways. A few other students milled in the hall, but the vast majority had already left. "Takeru!" He stopped and turned to her.

And he looked so normal that she almost dismissed her reservations. However, Hikari trusted her feelings. "What's wrong, Takeru?"

His head tilted to the side and then he cocked his eyebrow. "Nothing," he dismissed. "Why do you ask?"

She glanced down for a second. "Okay. This is going to sound stupid, but I haven't seen you flirt with a girl in weeks." Even as the words left her lips she could hear how ridiculous this sounded. But she was sure in what she was saying. Even if he was dating someone, that wouldn't have been an excuse. She'd seen him dating, and he would still friendly flirt with girls. He may tone it down a bit, but he never stopped. Or worse rejected a girl. Because the girl may not have known that was what he did, but Hikari had. She read the 'don't touch me' in his actions. "And just something feels…off. Are you sure everything is okay?"

If she had been anyone else, she may have missed the way his fist tightened around the handle of his bag. But she wasn't somebody else. And she saw it. He chuckled and suddenly Hikari was one hundred percent sure that something was wrong. Because that was what Takeru did. Instead of having people confront and deal with his problems, he deflected and joked and made light of the situation. Then, no one would know how serious his problems were or how affected he was. And it worked. But not on her.

"So, I don't flirt with girls and something has to be wrong?"

Hikari make a frustrated sound in her throat. "That's not what I meant! This is why—"

"Hey, guys!"

She gasped when an arm flung around her shoulders. Hikari looked to see Daisuke next to her. His other arm was around Takeru's shoulders. A broad grin was on his face, and Hikari could tell he had no idea what he interrupted. "Are you guys stoked or what?"

"For what?" Takeru asked.

"Digidestined Karaoke Night, man. Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Of course not," Takeru jumped on the topic. She glared at him. Hikari could tell he was ecstatic about this interruption. She cursed Daisuke in her mind. Now, she knew Takeru would avoid her until she forgot about this and stopped bringing it up to him. Hikari had no choice but to follow when Takeru started guiding Daisuke down the hall and away from their previous conversation.

She would find a way to talk to him.

She had to.


	2. Chapter 2

_We never knew_

 _How did I fall in love with you?_

~Backstreet Boys

* * *

Hikari could kiss her brother.

Takeru had made sure to stay as far away from her the entire time in the karaoke. His actions weren't noticed by anyone else. Or at least, no one pointed it out. She, on the other hand, spent the whole time distracted. Seriously, the amount of times she answered 'what' when someone talked to her started to make the others look at her weird. But her mind was focused on figuring out how to corner him afterward.

And per usual, her older brother came to her rescue.

Everyone was getting ready to go. Inside, Hikari was panicking because Takeru was on the other side of the room. And there was no way for her to get to him except to leap across the table. Which wouldn't look suspicious at all. He was angry enough at her already. If she brought attention to his problem, he would not be happy. Takeru was almost out the door and she was still scrambling for what she could do when Taichi grabbed his arm. "You'll see Hikari home, right?" Typical of Taichi, it was less like a request and more like a command.

There was a pause many wouldn't notice, as for a moment, Takeru stared at Taichi. Then, Takeru smiled and said, "Of course." But Hikari recognized that smile. It was the one that fooled ninety-nine percent of everyone into thinking he was fine. When in actuality he was as far from fine as he could be.

Taichi stepped back over to her. "Sorry I can't take you home myself."

Hikari shook her head. "That's okay."

"Are you ready?" Takeru asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"Yeah," she said. "Just a second."

As she leaned over to grab her purse, she heard Yamato mutter to Taichi. "So, you know what's up?"

Taichi gave a low chuckle. "They'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so."

Hikari twisted her lip, curious about the strange conversation. But, she was too excited that her brother gave her the chance to talk to him. Dismissing the thought, she grabbed her purse and stood. Takeru stepped back to let her through the door. She flashed him a smile and a quick 'thanks'. She proceeded Takeru out of the building.

As they walked, Hikari wondered at the silence. Because silence was never their thing. Takeru would tell her stories of the stars. Or he would point out the shapes in the clouds. Or make her laugh recounting experiences from the day. But there wasn't any of that.

She looked over her shoulder. In fact, he wasn't even walking beside her. Takeru walked a couple of steps behind her with his hands shoved into his pockets. He followed her like a tall, silent shadow. Hikari felt safe in his presence, but this was not helping her mission.

Spinning on her heel, Hikari turned around and stopped facing him. It took a moment for Takeru to notice. He slowed to a stop. Heaving a sigh, his gaze dropped to the ground. "Hikari, can't you please just drop it?" he pleaded without any prompting.

"No," she answered. "I want to help you." She was going to be firm about this. If she had her way, she would not go home until she resolved this. Hikari didn't want to be at odds with her best friend anymore.

Takeru shook his head as he let out a humorless chuckle. "Hikari, if you only knew…" He locked gazes with her. "Trust me, Hikari, you can't help me with this. I mean, you're the—" He cut off by pressing his lips together. His shoulders sagged and his eyes dropped to the ground which gave his whole body the image of defeat. "Never mind. Let's go." He started walking again, moving towards her but not meeting her eyes again.

"Takeru, please stop shutting me out," she pleaded as he walked around her. She caught up with him and grabbed his arm. "I'm what?" she asked. She wanted him to tell her what she did wrong so she could fix it.

To her surprise, he lifted his hand up and laid it over the hand on his arm. With gentle, slow moments, he took her hand and pulled it away from him. "It's not important," he dismissed as he slide her hand out of his grip. He didn't turn around to look at her.

"Yes, it is," Hikari insisted. Heat prickled in her eyes, but she held herself together. The last thing she needed was to dissolve into a blubbering mess. She wasn't someone who cried at the drop of a hat, and she wasn't about to start now. Even if she was about to lose her best friend. "Something is bothering you. I want to help, as your best friend."

Takeru whipped around. Hikari flinched back. There was a wild look to his eyes that she had never seen before. In that moment, Hikari realized whatever was wrong was making Takeru desperate. "But that's just it! You want to be friends forever. And I can't…" He paused. "I cannot pretend that we can still be friends."

A trail of ice moved down Hikari's spine. If he had punched her in the gut, he could not have hurt her more than this. "What…what did I do?" she gasped. Her shoulders hunched. She wanted to fold in on herself because it felt like her world was imploding. If she was honest, she hadn't thought she could lose Takeru as her best friend until this moment. She was so sure that whatever it was she could fix it.

Takeru's eyes widened, and he walked over to her. He laid his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Hikari. That wasn't what I meant. And I want to say this right."

Whatever had seized her throat released, and she could breathe again. He had misspoken. She wasn't about to lose her best friend. But that didn't mean that she had any idea what he could mean. "Takeru, I don't understand." Why had that burst out of him? What did he need to say right?

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I know you don't. But I just need you to know. And it has to be tonight because I can't let you leave thinking I don't…" He pressed his lips together before he continued. "Hikari, how often do you see the others?"

Hikari blinked at the non-sequitur. She knew who he was talking about. Between them, there was only one group that would be 'the others': the Digidestined. "I see Daisuke and Iori at school, and my brother all the time. The others…I guess when we get together. Why?"

Takeru's smile was sad and resigned, like she gave the answer he expected but didn't want. "Exactly. Ever since the others graduated, we only see each other when we plan on it every few months. What do you think is going to happen to us? When we graduate, will we only see each other when we get together?"

Finally, Hikari felt like she was catching on to what was bothering him. "Is that what you're worried about? Takeru, you're my best friend. I would never abandon you," she reassured him. All this time, he was afraid of losing her. She had to reassure him that he would never lose her. "And we'll always be the Digidestined." The twelve of them would always have that connection. That secret that set them apart from everyone else.

"I don't want to live that life," Takeru interrupted. "That life of only seeing each other because of that. I don't want to say goodbye. To graduate and only see each other every once and a while. To only be connected because we're the Digidestined."

Hikari felt like she was on a roller coaster. The moment she thought she figured out what was wrong with him, he threw in something else that made her think she had no idea again. He was talking in circles, which wasn't like him. Unless there was something he was trying not to say. "Takeru, what are you saying?" she asked. At this point, she wanted the blunt truth.

"I love you," he blurted. Hikari's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped opened. "As a Digidestined, as my best friend, as so much more. More than I thought." His lips twisted in a self-deprecating manner as he continued, "I don't know how it happened, but I won't say I'm sorry about it. Hikari, with you I want to spend the rest of my life."

Hikari couldn't speak. It felt like someone was grabbing her throat, choking off her air. She'd had no idea. This was beyond what she had imagined was bothering him. In love with her? How could he be in love with her? They were best friends. How long had he been in love with her? Was it all along? Her mind went around in circles with her thoughts.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

In a stupor, Hikari automatically followed him as they walked to her apartment. Neither of them spoke the rest of the way there. She didn't even realize that they had reached her door until Takeru stopped walking. This was the moment. She had to say something. When your best friend confessed their love to you, you don't leave them in silence. "Takeru, I—" she stopped. Her mind was a blank. What could she say? What did you say to your best friend after they confessed their love to you?

"Hikari, stop. You don't have to say anything. Go inside." She took a breath, ready to argue with him. "Go," he reiterated.

Slumping her shoulders in defeat, she nodded and opened the door. He was right; her mind was in too much turmoil to form any sort of cohesive thought. He turned and began to walk away. "Takeru?" she asked. However, there had to be something she could say. She had to let him know that she still cared about him as her friend, even if she was overwhelmed. Something simple. Something easy. Then, it hit her. "Good night," she said. A weak smile accompanied the simple words.

In the dim light, she could see him smile in return. "Good night, Hikari."

She closed the door and leaned against it.

What the heck was she supposed to do now?

* * *

Sunday morning found Hikari banging on her brother's dorm door. She hadn't slept at all the last two nights. She kept overturning Takeru's words over and over in her mind. Yesterday, her mom kept asking her if anything was wrong.

She couldn't answer. Halfway through the night realization upon realization hit her. She slept at his house. He loved her, and she slept in his bed. How many times had she cuddled with him, held his hand, hugged him, kissed his cheek? How many times had she unknowingly hurt him with her actions?

Behaviors that hadn't made sense before, she now understood. The lack of flirting, the rebuffing of other girls, the unnecessary kindnesses well beyond what he normally did.

She needed help. She needed answers. And so, she needed her brother.

Taichi opened the door, rubbing his eyes. He was still in his pajamas, and his hair was more wild than normal.

"Taichi, I need help," she burst out before he had a chance to say anything.

He tilted his head to the side. "Oh," he said. "Alright. Let me get dressed. I'll be out in a minute." Taichi shut the door again. For the next few minutes, Hikari paced in the hallway in front of his door. She couldn't remember a time when she had been as agitated as this. Taichi opened the door again, this time dressed with his coat on. "Come on," he said. "There's a shop down the street I like."

Hikari nodded. She worked her lip between her teeth. Now that she was here with her brother, she wasn't sure he was the best person to talk to. He tended to not like the boys that liked her, with his famous "leave my sister alone or I'll castrate you" speech and all.

The café's bells jingled as Taichi pushed the door open. He returned the greeting the worker gave them before looking at her. "Find us a table while I get us something." Then, he moved toward the counter, leaving her to do what he said.

Hikari found an empty table tucked away in the back. Taichi arrived a few minutes later. He slid a hot drink and a muffin on a plate towards her. He set the same down in front of himself. Silence fell as Hikari stirred the drink in front of her, wondering where to begin.

Taichi began to peel the wrapping off his muffin. "So, I guess Takeru told you." He took a large bit out of the muffin, looking for all the world like nothing was wrong.

Her jaw dropped. "You knew?"

Her brother swallowed. As he nodded, he took a sip of his drink, and set it back down on the table. "Figured it out when I picked you up from his house that day you spent the night." He chuckled, resting his head in his hand. His eyes took on the faraway look of remembrance. "I think he was bracing himself for the 'leave my sister alone or I'll castrate you' speech."

Hikari shook her head, shocked by this new turn of events. "I don't understand. How did you know? Why are you…okay with this?" Her brother's reaction confused her. His protectiveness was well known by everyone. She had not expected the calmness that she was seeing now.

Taichi shrugged. "If you had seen his face when you fell, you would have seen it too. And, it's Takeru. What other reason do I need?"

"He said he loves me," she said.

"Dropped the L-word, did he? Well, he's not the type to do things by half."

"He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me!"

"Well, he better or else it'll be really awkward when we all get together."

"Taichi, I am freaking out about this. Why aren't you freaking out with me?"

He laughed. "Not gonna happen, sis." He smiled lazily at her, stirring his drink in a nonchalant manner. "Instead of focusing on Takeru's feelings, why don't you ask yourself what yours are?"

Hikari froze. She hadn't thought of that yet. She'd been busy wondering what she was supposed to do with her best friend in love with her, that she hadn't stopped to think about what her own feelings were. She didn't know. She couldn't sort it out. She only knew one thing. "I don't want anything to change."

Taichi shook his head. "Hate to break it to you, Hikari, but everything's changed already. Because now you know. And you can't pretend you don't know how he feels." His expression changed, and Hikari saw it. Her brother shifted into what they affectionately called "leader mode". She was no longer only dealing with her brother. Before her sat Taichi Yagami, Leader of the Digidestined, Savior of the Worlds. And she knew her brother was serious about this. "So, try again. How do you feel about Takeru?"

"I don't know!"

"That's ridiculous," he stated. She gasped at the flat tone and hard look. She'd seen it before but never directed at her. "You've know each other for ten years. You have to know what he means to you."

Hikari bristled at his words. Of course she knew what Takeru was to her. "He's my best friend, Taichi," she defended. Takeru was important to her; she knew that much at least.

A smile split his face, like she gave him the answer he wanted. Instantly, his hard, intense look was gone. The leader mode faded as he relaxed and took another bit of his muffin. "Exactly. I didn't say you had to love him this moment. But being best friends isn't a bad place to start." He leaned forward on his elbows, pausing to take another sip of his drink. "The only question you have to answer now is do you want to try? Do you want to try for something more with him or not?"

Her brother was right. She needed to stop worrying about Takeru's feelings. He knew his feelings. She knew his feelings. Hikari needed to focus on the future, on what she wanted to happen from now on. She huffed out a laugh. Coming to her brother was the right decision. She'd known he would know exactly what to do. "When did you become such an expert?"

"Meh," he said with a shrug. "You hang out enough with the Digidestined of Love, you pick things up."

* * *

Stupid Taichi and his stupid schemes.

It was all his fault for pretty much forcing him to walk Hikari home.

He'd managed to avoid Hikari for a week now, but even their classmates were starting to notice. It was his luck that not only would he fall in love with his best friend, but they would be in the same class, too. Which made avoiding her into an art form really.

Takeru never should have told her. That was it—he should have kept his feelings to himself. Now everything was awkward when it didn't have to be. But he hadn't been able to help it. She kept pushing until the whole "I cannot pretend that we can still be friends" debacle burst from him. After that, he couldn't leave her thinking that he didn't care about her. Especially when that was about as far from the truth as it could get.

A part of him couldn't believe that not only did he flat out tell her he loved her but also practically proposed to her as well.

He was doing a right bang up job of keeping his composure these days.

At this point, he was hoping beyond hope that if he avoided her for long enough she would drop it altogether. She didn't return his feelings. He knew that. He knew the thought probably had never even crossed her mind, given her expression when he confessed his feelings. Takeru understood all this and knew he had no right to force her to love him. That would be the exact opposite of what he should do. Accepting that she had no feelings for him (of the romantic variety anyway) was all he could do.

So, he avoided her. He could spare her the pain of breaking his heart. Takeru would suffer in silence so that she didn't have to. At least until he could get over this and move on.

And it was all going well until she caught up with him on the way home from school.

She must have run the whole way here, if her panting was any indication.

Leaning over with her hands on her knees, Hikari caught her breath. Since the least he could do was let her breathe, Takeru watched her in silence. He already knew what he wanted to say, but he could give her a minute. After a minute, she straightened as she took a deep breath. "Takeru, I need to talk to you."

For some reason, the desperate look in her eyes caused a trail of dread to slide down his spin. "It's alright, Hikari," he cut in. This was the exact reason he was avoiding her. Because he didn't want to hear it. It would hurt more hearing the rejection straight from her lips. "You don't have to say anything."

A frown creased her face. Her eyes turned hard and he recognized that look of determination. From someone else. Yep, Hikari and Taichi were definitely related and there was no way he was ever getting out of this. Hikari would not stop until she spoke her place. "Yes, I do. I have to tell you right now." To emphasize her point, she pointed her finger at the ground and stomped her foot on the last word.

It made him curious because Hikari wasn't usually prone to such theatrics. "Why?" The question was asked almost before he thought about it. Takeru knew he was avoiding her and that had to be annoying. But it was almost like she was on a mission and would not be deterred.

His heart dropped as her face crumbled into sorrow. "Because I can't live one more day knowing how much pain I'm causing you."

Swallowing heavily, Takeru tried to deflect the situation. He could deal with his own pain. He'd had enough of it in his life to know how to get through that. But he couldn't let Hikari feel pain. Not because of him. So, he tried to make light of the situation. "I don't know how you can stop it. Unless you are here to tell me you love me, too." He kept his tone light, like he was making a joke of it.

Judging from her frown, it hadn't worked. Remembering back to the day she confronted him before karaoke, he had to admit that Hikari knew him too well. His deflections worked less and less on her. Her eyes dropped and she dug her toe into the ground. "Well, no, but…"

Takeru nodded, accepting her answer. He knew, he anticipated that answer. But it hurt far beyond what he expected. He turned to leave before she finished talking—he would apologize later for his rudeness. But he couldn't let her see his pain again. He could spare her that at least.

"Takeru, no, please don't leave," she pleaded. "Takeru, please, wait. Takeru!" He didn't stop. He couldn't stop because he couldn't deal with this right now. He thought he could, but he couldn't.

"But I want to be!"

Her yell finally stopped him. Stunned, he couldn't turn and look at her again. He wouldn't be able to handle the disappointment again if he had misheard her. The sound of her footsteps got closer and closer until they stopped behind him. Still, he could not move. He felt something lay against his back and realized Hikari was resting her head against his back.

"I want to try, Takeru," she said. "I don't think I have the same feelings that you do. Not as deep as you do, anyway. But I can't lose you. I think I could lose almost anything except you. You mean the world to me, but I don't know if that is the same as the love you feel. But I'd like the chance to figure it out. You're my best friend. And that's a good place to start, right?"

He turned to face her. Recognizing the sincerity in her eyes, he realized this was more than he had hoped for. Perhaps her feelings weren't as strong as his own at the moment. But love was a choice, and Hikari was choosing him. Time to build their relationship was the least he could give.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Thank you, Hikari," he murmured against her skin. She had given him a chance, and he swore to himself that he would never waste it.

And, perhaps later, he would thank Taichi for his brilliant schemes.


End file.
